I was wondering if anyone had any strange eating rituals that you do to stretch your eating time out or to make your eating time more special.

I will fill up a sports quart with water and will sometimes go through 2 or 3 quarts of water while eating to try to fill me up. Or, especially on a DD, I will (since I don't have a kitchen or dining room table) light a candle, sit it next to me on the end table next to the couch where I'm sitting while eating, and have a "candlelight dinner" while purposely taking forever to eat.

Just random little things I do to try to make my meals more special.

__________________As of 5/19/2014, No longer "overweight"!
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Can now see my xylophone
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Do not reward yourself with food, you're not a dog
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Your great granny's granny had a term for healthy food...she called it food

Especially on DDs... I won't eat my dinner until the family gets their food. I don't even want to have it in front of me until they are already eating. Because if they are still eating and I'm done, I feel like I need to be eating still. Stupid, I know... I put my small portions on a small plate, arranged just as everyone else's on their big plate. And I cut my pieces very small and chew and savor every bite to drag it out and make it last longer. I also drink plenty of water during the meal...

I actually try not to drink to much liquid during my meal. I read somewhere that it dilutes the stomach acids and makes the digestive process less efficient. I don't know if that's true or not. I do drink LOTS of iced tea and crystal light through the day though.

I haven't done this, but I also remember reading about putting a mirror in front of you as you eat. It's suppose to make you aware of what you look like while eating, and perhaps me a little slower/more delicate in your eating. I should've done that last night - maybe I wouldn't have shoveled in so much leftover enchiladas and made myself !

When I am doing a Fat Fast Down Day, I will cut my food into small portions and spread them out on a large plate. I'll also read a paragraph in my book between bites, to slow me down. I do this mostly because, let's face it, one slice of liverwurst can be inhaled in about 20 seconds. Since it takes 20 MINUTES for your appestat to notice you've eaten something, and alert your brain, I want to give myself a fighting chance to feel satisfied. And, amazingly, 60K of liverwurst, eaten slowly, often IS enough.

I do NOT read while the food is in my mouth, though. I close my eyes, and really savor the flavor.

I don't think I could do the mirror thing, LCG! I bet it would work though.

I have rituals on DDs somewhat. I don't like to be bothered after about 9ish pm, and I want to be alone reading usually. I tell my bf if I come and watch t.v. with him or play a game, I'll start thinking about food. It's weird but I like to be quiet, on my bed with a glass of diet sunkist and my book. I don't think about eating at all and can get sleepy and go to bed with no distraction. Doesn't always happen this way, but it is my preference...weekends I'm a little more flexible.

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"Never give up on a dream just because of the length of time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway."

If you tell yourself you're being deprived, then your DD meals will be a trial!

I keep special things for DDs, like my smoked mussels. My veggie soup is yummy anyway and so low cal, I can have a big bowl of that. Salad leaves make a huge plateful for only a few cals and can accompany something that's a treat. My chocogluc pud is very filling and actually rather yummy so it feels like an indulgence.
So no feelings of deprivation necessary.

If you tell yourself you're being deprived, then your DD meals will be a trial!

I keep special things for DDs, like my smoked mussels. My veggie soup is yummy anyway and so low cal, I can have a big bowl of that. Salad leaves make a huge plateful for only a few cals and can accompany something that's a treat. My chocogluc pud is very filling and actually rather yummy so it feels like an indulgence.
So no feelings of deprivation necessary.

I like the mini "candlelight dinner" idea!

I have found a few items I genuinely enjoy and save them for my DDs only. Even if I feel like having it on my UD, I won't. It's my DD treat.

I've been very successful using JUDDD for maintenance for over a year. On my DDs, I eat the same thing almost every time. I know exactly what I'm going to eat, so there's no need to think about, or plan anything. My DH does the same thing. It might seem boring, but I remember reading that people who maintain their weight actually don't eat a huge variety of foods. It seems to work for me.

Another thing I do is drink iced tea. I probably drink a gallon a day. On my DDs, if I have my drink by my side, food is a non-issue. I guess putting the glass to my lips frequently is a good sub for putting food in my mouth.

Now, I admit that on UDs, I eat whatever I want, within reason. So, there's a lot more variety. I enjoy trying new recipes sometimes, and JUDDD has really brought the joy back to cooking for me.

It's funny that I like DDs almost as much as UDs, but for different reasons. They're like my anchor. As long as I do them faithfully (and I DO!), my weight stays steady.

I've been very successful using JUDDD for maintenance for over a year. On my DDs, I eat the same thing almost every time. I know exactly what I'm going to eat, so there's no need to think about, or plan anything. My DH does the same thing. It might seem boring, but I remember reading that people who maintain their weight actually don't eat a huge variety of foods. It seems to work for me.

Another thing I do is drink iced tea. I probably drink a gallon a day. On my DDs, if I have my drink by my side, food is a non-issue. I guess putting the glass to my lips frequently is a good sub for putting food in my mouth.

Now, I admit that on UDs, I eat whatever I want, within reason. So, there's a lot more variety. I enjoy trying new recipes sometimes, and JUDDD has really brought the joy back to cooking for me.

It's funny that I like DDs almost as much as UDs, but for different reasons. They're like my anchor. As long as I do them faithfully (and I DO!), my weight stays steady.

Hey there! You and your husband look AWESOME!!! I see that you did HCG and arecurrently maintaining with JUDDD. Are you doing the every other day DDs? What specifically are you doing to maintain?

I've been very successful using JUDDD for maintenance for over a year. On my DDs, I eat the same thing almost every time. I know exactly what I'm going to eat, so there's no need to think about, or plan anything. My DH does the same thing. It might seem boring, but I remember reading that people who maintain their weight actually don't eat a huge variety of foods. It seems to work for me.

Another thing I do is drink iced tea. I probably drink a gallon a day. On my DDs, if I have my drink by my side, food is a non-issue. I guess putting the glass to my lips frequently is a good sub for putting food in my mouth.

Now, I admit that on UDs, I eat whatever I want, within reason. So, there's a lot more variety. I enjoy trying new recipes sometimes, and JUDDD has really brought the joy back to cooking for me.

It's funny that I like DDs almost as much as UDs, but for different reasons. They're like my anchor. As long as I do them faithfully (and I DO!), my weight stays steady.

I hear ya on the tea! LOVE the stuff. I have to use splenda though. Otherwise my days calories would be consumed by tea. I incorporate a lot of green tea more now also, but love the original southern sweet tea! We'll have to call you Si from Duck Dyn. He carries that gallon jug of tea everywhere he goes. lol

Hey there! You and your husband look AWESOME!!! I see that you did HCG and arecurrently maintaining with JUDDD. Are you doing the every other day DDs? What specifically are you doing to maintain?

Thanks so much!

Thank you! Yes, I've continued to do every other day DDs. That's not to say I don't occasionally have three UDs in a row if there's some super special occasion that falls on my regular DD. My weight might blip up a little more, but I just continue my regular rotations and it slides right back down again. My UDs can be very caloric, sometimes more than others. If I go crazy on a UD, I try to balance it out a bit better on the next UD. I am amazed by how many calories I can get by with now, but I can't stress enough that the DDS are non negotiable with me. They're the keys to the kingdom, so to speak, I started out trying to lose a few more pounds and I did, by counting my UD calories around 1900, with only a few days here and there of splurging, I increased UD calories slowly, and eventually gained a few pounds back. But that was okay because at 55, I realized I don't really need to be so thin. I'm really comfortable around 145-150, and that's precisely where I stay. I eat 600 calories on DDs and average about 3000 on UDs. I'm amazed by that, lol! Hope this encourages you. :-)

I hear ya on the tea! LOVE the stuff. I have to use splenda though. Otherwise my days calories would be consumed by tea. I incorporate a lot of green tea more now also, but love the original southern sweet tea! We'll have to call you Si from Duck Dyn. He carries that gallon jug of tea everywhere he goes. lol

I love me some sweet tea! I haven't had sugar in my tea since I was a kid. I got used to Sweet 'n Low, and can't stand the taste of any other sweetener. When I was a super strict low carber, I switched to a liquid Sweet 'n Low called Fasweet. I can only find it in one my nearby Walmart stores. (I was avoiding the carbs from the fillers in powdered sweeter.) I really like the taste. Oh, and I recently started adding a quarter teaspoon of baking soda to my gallon jug after seeing the idea on Pintetest. It takes some of the acidity away and makes it taste a little smoother. Yum!

Thank you! Yes, I've continued to do every other day DDs. That's not to say I don't occasionally have three UDs in a row if there's some super special occasion that falls on my regular DD. My weight might blip up a little more, but I just continue my regular rotations and it slides right back down again. My UDs can be very caloric, sometimes more than others. If I go crazy on a UD, I try to balance it out a bit better on the next UD. I am amazed by how many calories I can get by with now, but I can't stress enough that the DDS are non negotiable with me. They're the keys to the kingdom, so to speak, I started out trying to lose a few more pounds and I did, by counting my UD calories around 1900, with only a few days here and there of splurging, I increased UD calories slowly, and eventually gained a few pounds back. But that was okay because at 55, I realized I don't really need to be so thin. I'm really comfortable around 145-150, and that's precisely where I stay. I eat 600 calories on DDs and average about 3000 on UDs. I'm amazed by that, lol! Hope this encourages you. :-)

Oh WOW!!!! 3000 calories???!!! I wanna be where you are! I'll get there! I guess you can eat 3000 calories every other day to maintain. Way to go on your losses!

I hear ya on the tea! LOVE the stuff. I have to use splenda though. Otherwise my days calories would be consumed by tea. I incorporate a lot of green tea more now also, but love the original southern sweet tea! We'll have to call you Si from Duck Dyn. He carries that gallon jug of tea everywhere he goes. lol

I love me some sweet tea! I haven't had sugar in my tea since I was a kid. I got used to Sweet 'n Low, and can't stand the taste of any other sweetener. When I was a super strict low carber, I switched to a liquid Sweet 'n Low called Fasweet. I can only find it in one my nearby Walmart stores. (I was avoiding the carbs from the fillers in powdered sweeter.) I really like the taste. Oh, and I recently started adding a quarter teaspoon of baking soda to my gallon jug after seeing the idea on Pintetest. It takes some of the acidity away and makes it taste a little smoother. Yum!

I prefer sweet n low also, but I make a gallon at a time and tearing packets all day would get on my nerves. lol I didn't know there was a liquid option. I just used the splenda bc it's about the only other sweetner I like. May have to try the baking soda thing. I have gotten heartburn before from tea and I'm guessing that's why. Drinking a gallon at a time might do that to a person. ha ha.

Thanks so much! I'm glad it's encouraging to you. My DH and I started this lifestyle change ten years ago, and it's been nothing short of miraculous. I feel so good. Neither of us has any health problems and I hope to live out my days feeling this good, for however long I'm on this earth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMBM

I prefer sweet n low also, but I make a gallon at a time and tearing packets all day would get on my nerves. lol I didn't know there was a liquid option. I just used the splenda bc it's about the only other sweetner I like. May have to try the baking soda thing. I have gotten heartburn before from tea and I'm guessing that's why. Drinking a gallon at a time might do that to a person. ha ha.

You do know that Sweet 'n Low comes in bulk form, don't you? I usually get it at WalMart and keep it around for a backup in case I run out of the liquid. A heaping 1/8 cup of the stuff is perfect for a gallon of sweet tea, IMO. Hope the baking soda helps the heartburn. It makes sense that it would. The only negative to drinking that much tea is the numerous trips to the bathroom each day, lol. But hey, I'm NEVER dehydrated.

Thanks so much! I'm glad it's encouraging to you. My DH and I started this lifestyle change ten years ago, and it's been nothing short of miraculous. I feel so good. Neither of us has any health problems and I hope to live out my days feeling this good, for however long I'm on this earth.

You do know that Sweet 'n Low comes in bulk form, don't you? I usually get it at WalMart and keep it around for a backup in case I run out of the liquid. A heaping 1/8 cup of the stuff is perfect for a gallon of sweet tea, IMO. Hope the baking soda helps the heartburn. It makes sense that it would. The only negative to drinking that much tea is the numerous trips to the bathroom each day, lol. But hey, I'm NEVER dehydrated.

No, I didn't. But I'm going to look for it next time I go shopping. Yeah, I'm never thristy. Hee, hee Lipton is my favorite. I buy the big box of family size. ha, ha I often wonder if it were bottle fed to me as an infant! I know artificial sweetner is not the greatest for you, but it can't be any worse than diet sodas right? At least you aren't getting as much sodium right?

Sorry to the OP for getting so off-topic, but I have one more comment about tea, lol. I buy the restaurant style Lipton tea bags at Sam's. You don't have to unwrap anything and one bag makes a whole gallon. You just throw it in. :-)

I suppose my ritual is creative cooking on my DD. I generally look for a soup recipe or vegetable dish I have never tried before and tweak the ingredients and the amounts with a digital gram scale to fit JUDDD. I make tiny portions and lower the fat to miniscule amounts.

I love to cook - always have! LOL. I have been trying truly "odd" things like making pureed soup from Romaine lettuce, green onions or leeks, and fresh parsley. Got the idea from Sunset Magazine. Sounds disgusting but tastes fresh and yummy.

On hubby's down days, I send him off to work with a 2-cup thermos of soup that I make, which is usually only 60-75 calories per cup. It keeps him pretty full, and he's a big guy. Smile.

You'd think that being around the food makes me hungry. Just the opposite, it keeps me busy and I get a great deal of joy out of my strange experimentations.

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"You are imperfect. Permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful." -- Amy Bloom

Veggie soup was my mainstay all Winter. I love making it! I just open the fridge and see what needs eating, then decide what to combine it with. It's my best chance to get creative. It's much lower in calories than those tasteless and watery so-called low-cal soups too! I can have a huge bowlful - or 2! - for about 120 cals.

Now we've actually got warm weather, I'll probably defect to salads - a creative combination of motley ingredients served on a big bed of leaves.